Vehicle headlight



May 19,1925. 1,538,014

E. WHITAKER VEHICLE HEADLIGHT Filed March 5., 1924 Inventor, .E'dWhitaker, by

I rnzg.

Patented May 19, 1925.

19 E51 PAT OFF! cs.

ED WHITAKER; 0F WATER/LOO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGLLMENTS, OLE" oNE THIRD TO I RETA LI ESCHEB, OF CHICAGQILLINOIS.

VEHICLE HEADLIGHT.

Application filed March 3, 1924'. Serial- No. 696,627.

TocZZ whom-it may concern.

Be it known that I,. E1) WHITAKER, citizen of the United States,residing: at W aterloo, in the county of Black Hawk and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle Headlights,of which the followingis a specification;

My invention relates tO'. improvements in vehicle headlights, and theobject of my improvement is to' supply particularly for use on motorvehicles a headlight which is so constructed as to limit vertical lightdispersion upwardly and downwardly while permitting sidewise lightdispersion, and arranged with cooperating opposite reflecting surfacesadapted to receive, conserve and direct light rays emitted from a sourceof illumination within thedevice, to the utmost advantage in the properillumination of the road before and to the sides of the vehicle, whilepreventing inconvenient glare to the drivers of vehicles approachingfrom an opposite direction;

This object I have accomplished by the means which arehereinafter'described and claimed and which are illustrated in the accompanying--drawings, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment ofinvention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what isclaimed without de parting from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical central longitudinal section ofmy improved headlight and Fig. 2 a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is avertical central longitudinal section of a modification of my improvedheadlight, and Fig. 4 is a front elevation thereof.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the nu meral 1 denotes a common formof lamp shell or housing within which is positioned a parabolic orconcave reflector 2, mounted and secured therein in any desired wayas bythe clamping ring 3, the latter also serving to secure in place on thelamp the transparent closure l together with upper and lower hoods orshutters 7 and 8, the former without and the latter within the lamp.

The upper hood or shutter 7 is preferably a hollow spherical segment butmay be otherwise shaped. The lower hood or shutter 8 is preferably ahollow conical frustum with its inner curvate edge approximately coaxialwith the reflector 2, and the frustum 8 is also segmental and its upperhorizontal edge'is positioned at a: short distance below the horizontallower edge of the hood 7' to give clearance therebetween at the sides ofthe lamp for sidewise uninterrupted light dispersion to thus illuminatethe sides of the road at both sides of the vehicle;' The curvate edge9permits light to be directed ahead: froma lamp 5 positioned at the focalpoint of the reflector 2', and the lamp ispreferably mounted at 6 withinthe'reflector 2 dependingly as shown to thus prevent cuttingolfany ofthe reflecting surface of the reflector directly behind the lamp. Thereflector 2" is also slightly tilted forwardly and; downwardly, beingshaped with its lower part elongated to have its forward edge in anappproXima-te' vertical transverse plane. This slight tilting resultsindirecting reflected light rays slopingly toward the road in front ofthe vehicle at a determined forward limit thus aiding in giving betterillumination to the road in that area while measurably preventing;upward light dispersion;

Howeveiythe forwardly projecting segmental hood 7 serves to limit theupward dispersion of light projection to a part below a certain heightwhich height is below the height of the eyes of the driver of a vehicleapproaching from an opposite direction, whereby a blinding glare isabsolutely prevented such as often leads to accidents when no suchshutter is provided.

The lower hood or shutter 8 shuts off light dispersion slightly asagainst upward dispersion of light from the lower part of the reflector2. The inner surfaces of both hoods or shutters 7 and 8 are madereflecting, whereby the light from the lamp 5 otherwise shut off therebyis received and conserved directively by reflecting the rays toward thereflector 2 thence to be projected forwardly as limited in direction bythe hoods. As the hoods 7 and 8 are spaced apart vertically, as will beseen in Fig. 2, sidewise dispersion of light is not prevented, so thatthe light is directed sidewise from both sides of the vehicle.

Referring now to said Figs. 3. and 4, illustrating a modification of myinvention, the same shows a construction wherein the principle of myinvention is preserved, as adapted in use to existing lamps. The housing1, ring 3, glazing 4 and hoods or shutters 7 and 8 are the same as shownin F ig; 1, but the reflector 2 of the parabolic type is the usualuntilted kind having a central rearwardly rimmed opening at 11 whichusually receives the shank 6 of a lamp 5. However, a smaller concavereflector 10, is positioned within the reflector 2, slightly tiltedforwardly and downwardly with its axis below the axis of the reflector2, and having a rearwardly directed hollow stem 12 which is passedthrough the rimmed opening 11 to project therefrom and with itsprojecting end exteriorly threaded to receive a socketed nut 14 whichalso incloses the rim 11 lockingly. A lamp 5 has its shank 6 mounting inthe upper part of the reflector 1O withthe lamp at the focal pointthereof, the conductors 13 being carried between the reflectors andthrough an opening in the stem 12 and through the hollow of the latteras, shown. I i

The headlight shown in said Figs. 3 and 4 operates the same as the oneshown in Figs. l and 2, and the tilting of the inner reflector 1.0answers the same purpose as the tilting of'the reflector 2 of Fig. 1.This is a convenient method of installing the invention in the existingform of lamps. Having described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I 1. In combination, differentlysized nested concave reflectors, a concave reflecting screen projectingforwardly of the upper part of the reflectors to limit upward dispersionof light'therefrom, and a segmental truncated conical reflecting screensupported across the forward lower part of said reflectors and apicallydirected interiorly to limit and concentrate downward dispersion oflight therefrom, the adjacent transverse edges of said screens beingseparated vertically to permit sidewise dispersion of light from thereflectors.

2. In combination, a concave reflector, a concave reflecting screenprojecting across the upper front part of the reflector, and a forwardlyconcaved 'screenextending into the reflector and positioned across itslower front part and having in its upper edge a recess located below thelevel of the lower transverse edge of the upper screen to delimit lightreflected through the recess from a source of illumination within thehollow of the reflector, said adjacent screen edges being verticallyspaced.

3. In combination, a concave reflector, another andsmaller concavereflector mounted therein and forwardly of its reflecting surface, thelatter reflector being tilted to displace its focal center from thefocal radius of the former reflector to thereby direct light reflectedfrom the latter reflector only obliquely downwardly forwardly, andrefleeting screens mounted at the upper and lower parts of thefirst-mentioned reflector and spaced vertically to direct light sidewisewhile limiting its dispersion upwardly and downwardly. I a

In testimony whereof he aflixes his sig nature. V Waterloo, Iowa,February 29th, 192

ED WHITAKER.

